Beth C. Rubin, a former high school social studies teacher, uses a sociocultural lens and an interpretive research methodology to examine issues relating to educational equity in U.S. schools, with a focus on the intersection between classroom life and larger social inequalities. Her current research explores detracking in the classrooms of diverse schools, students' experiences of school reform, and civic identity construction in various school and community contexts. 

As a Spencer Foundation/National Academy of Education postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Rubin explored detracking in the classrooms of three distinct public high schools. A grant from the CIRCLE foundation supported her qualitative investigation of youth civic identity development across diverse school and community settings. In her current project, funded by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, Dr. Rubin is working with teachers to develop, implement, and study the implementation and impact of a "problem-posing" approach to civic education in diverse high school social studies classrooms. This design-based study is grounded in a situated, sociocultural approach to civic learning and identity in social studies classrooms that builds upon students’ experiences and concerns while developing the content knowledge and critical skills necessary for empowered democratic participation.

Dr. Rubin's recent publications include “There’s still not justice”: Youth civic identity development amid distinct school and community contexts in Teachers College Record, “Laboratories of democracy”: A situated perspective on learning social studies in detracked classrooms in Theory and Research in Social Education, Unpacking detracking: When progressive pedagogy meets students' social worlds in the American Educational Research Journal.

Title(s): Associate Professor Of Education; Co-Director, Social Studies Education Program

Education: Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley; M.A.T., Brown University; B.A., Oberlin College

Affiliations:

• Social Studies Education Program, GSE
• Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Program, GSE
• American Educational Research Association
• American Anthropology Association
• National Council for the Social Studies

Research interests:

• Detracking and heterogeneous grouping
• Civic identity development
• Students' perspectives on school reform
• Student-centered research

Recent publications:

Rubin, B.C. (2008). Detracking in context: How local constructions of ability complicate equity-geared reform. Teachers College Record.

Rubin, B.C. & Giarelli, J. (Eds). (2008). Civic education for diverse citizens in global times: Rethinking theory and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Rubin, B.C. (2007). Learner identities amid figured worlds: Constructing (in)competence at an urban high school. The Urban Review, 39(2), 217-249.
 
Rubin, B.C. (2007). “Laboratories of democracy”: A situated perspective on learning social studies in detracked classrooms. Theory and Research in Social Education, 35(1), 62-95.
 
Rubin, B.C. (2007) "There's still not justice": Youth civic identity development amid distinct school and community contexts. Teachers College Record, 109(2), 449-481.

Rubin, B.C. (2006) Guest Editor, Theme issue on Detracking and Heterogeneous grouping. Theory Into Practice, 45(1)

Rubin, B.C. and Justice, B. (2005) Preparing social studies teachers to be just and democratic: Problems and possibilities. In N. Michelli & D. Keiser (Eds.), Teacher education for democracy and social justice. New York: RoutledgeFalmer                                                               

Rubin, B.C.and Noguera, P.A. (2004) Tracking detracking: Sorting through the dilemmas and possibilities of detracking in practice. Equity and Excellence in Education. 37: 92-101.

Rubin, B.C. (2003) Unpacking detracking: When progressive pedagogy meets students’ social worlds. American Educational Research Journal. (40) 2: 539-573.

Rubin, B.C., & Silva, E. (Eds.) (2003). Critical voices in school reform: Students living through change. New York & London: RoutledgeFalmer

Rubin, B.C. (2002). Beyond "I": Critical literacy, social education and the "I-Search." University of Penn GSE Perspectives in Urban Education, 2(1).